I THINK IT IS MORE OR LESS BEYOND DISPUTE that the economy has been stuck in low gear for far too long. The recession officially ended in mid-2009, but the employment situation has been very slow to improve. While the official unemployment rate in January of this year was 6.6 percent (the February number is […]
Matt Talbot: Truth in song
I’VE RECENTLY DISCOVERED A RELATIVELY NEW SINGER-SONGWRITER ON THE SCENE, a man named Mike Rosenberg, who is better known by his stage name, Passenger. He’s explained that his nickname describes his approach to songwriting: He’s a passenger going through life, describing what he sees out his window. And what he sees is — or, more […]
Matt Talbot: Productivity and wages
JONATHAN SCHELL, WRITING IN THE NATION BACK IN 2011, stated in concise terms the nature and causes of the economic predicament the United States found itself in: “It’s true that the United States educational system is measurably slipping. It’s also true that the country’s infrastructure has decayed badly. And yes, the United States would benefit […]
Matt Talbot: Thoughts on the human condition
I’VE BEEN HEARING FOR YEARS THAT ISOLATION is a fundamental quality of the human condition. For years, whenever I’ve heard someone repeat the old saying, “You’re born alone, you live alone, and you die alone,” I’ve nodded my head sagely. The thing is, I am realizing as I age that I’m not sure what that […]